Peter van Zante (Earth-616)
__TOC__ Real Name: Peter van Zante Nicknames: None Former Aliases: The Water Wizard Other Current Aliases: None Status Occupation: Criminal Mercenary; Former Soldier Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record Identity: Secret Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: One-time operative of the Enforcer, Moondark and Justin Hammer; Former member of the Masters of Evil VII; Member of Force of Nature Base of Operations: Mobile Origin Peter van Zante was a soldier in Vietnam when he was wounded by an explosion of enemy rocket shells. Airlifted to a hospital ship in the midst of a storm, van Zante was placed under an experimental device designed to keep him alive until the ship stopped rocking enough so surgeons could operate on him. The ship was struck by lightning, however, and this created a power surge in the experimental device irradiating him. He recovered rapidily without surgery, and was discharged from the army. Soon after, he learned that he could mentally influence water. For years he practiced with his power in secret, not quite certain what to do with it, achieving mastery over greater and greater quantities of water at a time. Finally, van Zante was approached by a petty criminal called the Mole, who convinced him to become his criminal partner. Adopting the name Water Wizard, van Zante began his career as a costumed criminal. Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois Known Relatives: None First Appearance: First appearance unknown History Soon after adopting the Identity of the Water Wizard, van Zante was contacted by the Los Angeles crime boss known as the Enforcer, who involved him in a feud with Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider. After a series of defeats by the Ghost Rider, the Water Wizard ditched the Enforcer and fled to Chicago, where he joined the sorcerer Moondark in another attack against Blaze. This time, the Water Wizard was so seriously burned by the powers of the Ghost Rider that he went into shock and was placed in a mental institution. The Water Wizard was later freed by Blaze in order to help a town ravaged by drought, but was then kidnapped by Arabian criminals. Working with these new employers, the Water Wizard attacked rival oil companies, learning he could manipulate other liquids as well as water. The Water Wizard was stopped by Blaze and the Arabian Knight. Freed from custody by the criminal businessman, Justin Hammer, the Water Wizard was employed to raid a rival business, owned by Anthony Stark. The Water Wizard fled rather than continue to battle Stark's secret alter ego, Iron Man. The Water Wizard laid low for some time to avoid Hammer and the law. He was later targeted by the criminal-killer known as the Scourge of the Underworld . This encounter left him shaken enough that he surrendered to Captain America. When he got out of jail, the Water Wizard was approached by the group of radical environmentalists known as Project: Earth. Taking the new code name Aqueduct to reflect mankind's lack of ecological consciousness, van Zante joined Force of Nature, the superhuman terrorist extension of Project: Earth. Force of Nature engaged in several ecological terrorist attacks, before being stopped by the fledgling superhero team, the New Warriors. Reprimanded to Brazilian custody, Aqueduct and the other Force of Nature members were freed by Project: Earth. Characteristics Height: 5'10" Weight: 210 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown Unusual Features: No unusual features Powers Strength Level: Aqueduct possesses the normal human strength for a man of his age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise. Known Powers: Aqueduct possesses the ability to psionically manipulate any liquids within about 500 feet of himself. The maximum volume of water he can manipulate at the same time is unknown, although it appears to be many gallons. By psionically increasing the available energy in an ordinary water molecules' force of attraction, he can assemble large volumes of water by subliminally stacking the molecules, making the volume take on certain shapes. He has been observed to direct firehose-like jets of water with sufficient force to stun a man at 25 feet. Aqueduct can use his psionic powers for about one half hour before mental fatigue impairs his control over the phenomena. He apparently has more difficulty controlling small quantities of liquids than large ones. He has not yet been observed to be able to stop the six pints of blood in a human body from circulating, for example. He also cannot change the temperature of a volume of liquid, and thus convert it to ice or steam. Known Abilities: No known abilities. Miscellaneous Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons. Notes * Trivia * List of Appearances * Ghost Rider (Vol 2) #23 * New Warriors #7 - First Appearance as Aqueduct Related Articles * External Links * References * ---- Category:Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Bad Characters Category:Single Characters Category:Brown Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:Force of Nature members Category:Masters of Evil members